RAF COSFORD

16^th May 2004.

Weather sweaty in places! (please Budge!)

Mileage 185 approx

Duration 8.00am – 5.30pm approx (we’re not sure about Budge`s)

RIDERS BIKE

Budge/Di usual

Andrew Woodward Blackbird

Bob/Jane Clapham PAN (with cake tray)

Dave Preest 1200 howling BANDIT

Andy Downes (wow) VFR800 (chairman’s chariot)

Frank/Eileen CBR1000 (the last one!)

Nick Twissell PAN

Graham Bailey R1150RT (not last for any reason)

Will Nicholson R1100RT (without Ultra Seal!)

Lovely start to the morning or so we thought, no soon as Will arrived in the car park (last as usual) and dismounted, whoosh, one completely airless rear Bridgestone hairy hoop with just 100 miles to it’s credit, the victim of a early morning screw! (Stop it Di!) It was with great reluctance that we all trundled on our way without Will, although deeply saddened by the fact that he hadn’t any breakdown cover (tut tut, tee hee).

Soon we were having breakfast at Hope Under Dinmore, which with Wills absence turned out to be a whole lot less messier than previous turns at the trough, and certainly a much slicker affair!.

With Budge mentally stronger now that we had passed his dreaded threshold point for punctures, we continued on our way up the trusty A49 towards Telford before eventually touching down at RAF Cosford at about 11.30am to the echo of Capt Rigars retort of `I do hope you have all enjoyed your flight along with Blackbird & Co, with both Di and myself looking forward to your company on the return flight`!!(There’s a first!)

Three hours later having marvelled at a vast range of machinery, and reckoned some of which really had no right to fly, we fortified ourselves with calories galore before eventually kitting back up (well some of us were adorned with tasteful shorts and sandals, having exploited the cavernous holding abilities of a pair of panniers beautifully grafted to the flanks of a Bavarian lump! please Di,don`t go there!) to prepare for the return flight home.

We returned to familiar surroundings with consummate ease, well we had too as Budge our pilot had **##*#* off by default, leaving us all to master the navigational treacheries of the A38 our final leg home. Still we did have the pleasure of casting an approving eye over the building progression of Acorns new hospice at Worcester as we miraculously filed past the development on our way home.

Gloucestershire soon came upon us with the same rapidity as a plateful of prunes, and our playtime had come to an end all to soon, still we can’t complain, we had enjoyed a really good day which had provided the essential ingredients of any successful ride out, good weather, an interesting location, excellent company, fine riding skills (we had Andy with us), all methodically put together by Budge, and of course, I was there!!.`What`…..

My personal thanks to Budge/Di for always providing a `gud un`, and for riding in a style that never ceases to make me look so good!!, thanks Rigar,with a final thanks to everyone mentioned above as their involvement should always be acknowledged and never underrated.

Capt Canary